Entering the Plam restaurant, Lin Chaoyang met a man and woman with very special looks.
Tsui Hark and Shi Nansheng are the kind of people who can be recognized at a glance in a crowd, not because of how beautiful and handsome they are, but because of their sharp clothing and temperament.
The man has a goatee, the woman's hair is shorter than the man's, and the clothes are more fashionable than the other. What stands out is that one is unique.
Lin Chaoyang had met the two of them at the Academy Awards, but it was only a quick glance in the crowd.
After saying hello and sitting down, Shi Nansheng asked Lin Chaoyang what he wanted to drink. Lin Chaoyang said: "Is there any coffee? Let's have a cup of coffee."
Originally, Lin Chaoyang wanted to have a cup of tea, but it was probably not available in the restaurant, so Shi Nansheng ordered him a cup of coffee.
Tsui Hark and Shi Nansheng were very Western-style people. They wanted whiskey and seemed to regard this place as a bar. They and Lin Chaoyang were not seen outside. After greeting each other, they relaxed and chatted while drinking.
At the beginning, the main topic was focused on the Academy Awards a few days ago. After all, the two parties were not familiar with each other, so this was the only common topic.
Tsui Hark admired Lin Chaoyang's script very much, which is why he contacted Lin Chaoyang.
In his opinion, Lin Chaoyang's creative style has an upright and upright atmosphere, which is completely different from the eccentric style of most screenwriters or directors in Hong Kong today.
It’s hard to judge which of these two styles is better or worse, but Tsui Hark has been in the industry for so many years and has gradually become tired of some of the stereotyped creative content in Xiangjiang. This is one of the reasons why he left New Art City.
"When the movie "The King of Chess" was released, I made a special trip to see it. The film was quite good, and I even bought the novel.
I especially like the stretched shot at the end of the movie, which has a cruel poetic romance."
"The movie was well made, and Director Chen deserves a lot of credit."
"Yes. I think he deserves a Best Director Award, but it's a pity..."
While Tsui Hark and Lin Chaoyang were chatting animatedly, Shi Nansheng was waiting quietly by the side.
Although she looks very strong on the outside, she is unexpectedly gentle in front of Tsui Hark, which has a sense of contrast.
Seeing that the two of them had not talked about the topic for a long time, she asked: "Lin Sheng, the recent movie "The Truman Show" that you and Xu Anhua collaborated on has been very popular. Hong Gu said that Xu Anhua wanted her to play the heroine."
The Honggu in Shi Nansheng's mouth is "Zhong Chuhong" who is now famous in the Hong Kong film industry. Lin Chaoyang replied: "Yes. Director Xu has a good relationship with her, but unfortunately, she has negotiated "Dao Ma Dan" with you first."
Chung Chu-hong starred in Xu Anhua's famous work "The Story of Hu Yue". Last year, Xu Anhua's assistant director Guan Jinpeng started to start his own business. Xu Anhua even specially matched him and asked Chung Chuhong to star in "A Woman's Heart" directed by Guan Jinpeng.
Shi Nansheng said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. The big deal is that she will be in drama. Hong Gu is so popular, so it would be abnormal not to be in drama."
The master's next film, "Swordsman" won't start shooting until October, and I heard that "The Truman Show" will start shooting in August, so we can stagger most of the time."
"Master" is Shi Nansheng's private nickname for Tsui Hark.
In the mainland film and television circles of later generations, doing drama was often regarded as an unprofessional practice, but in Hong Kong today it is an extremely common thing.
Nowadays, movie stars in Hong Kong would be embarrassed to say they are famous if they don't run two or three sets every day.
Shi Nansheng continued: "The master has another idea recently. He wants to remake an old film. He may film it after the filming of "Dao Ma Dan" is completed. I would like to ask you to help write a script."
The film companies that contacted Lin Chaoyang all came because of his script, and the ideas of Tsui Hark and his wife were within his expectation.
Shi Nansheng mentioned that Tsui Hark wanted to remake old movies, and several movies flashed through Lin Chaoyang's mind. Among the many classic movies made by Tsui Hark, a considerable number were adapted from old movies produced by Shaw Brothers in the 1960s and 1970s.
piece.
Lin Chaoyang asked what movie it was, and to his surprise, Tsui Hark directly took out the script. It turned out to be "A Better Tomorrow" produced by New Arts Pictures in 1967.
This movie is directed by Long Gang and stars Xie Xian and Shi Jian.
In the 1960s, the Cantonese film market was still dominated by dramas and romance films. "A Better Tomorrow" tells the story of a prisoner being released from prison and does not involve love between a man and a woman at all. It was a bold innovation at the time.
It received a good response after its release, with box office revenue as high as HK$400,000.
This number is pitifully small now, but in 1967, this number could have ranked among the top ten box office of that year.
That year, Chang Cheh directed "The One-Armed Swordsman", which became the first film in Hong Kong film history to have a box office of over one million. Chang Cheh was therefore known as the "Million Dollar Director".
When the script was put into his hands, Lin Chaoyang immediately understood Tsui Hark's thoughts.
"I want you to rewrite this script..." Tsui Hark made his request to Lin Chaoyang.
The 1967 version of "A Better Tomorrow" is a social-themed film with a dark realistic style. Tsui Hark liked the story, but what he wanted to pursue was a heroic spirit, which was missing from the original script.
After hearing his idea, Lin Chaoyang did not talk about the script anymore, but seriously discussed the issue of remuneration with Shi Nansheng.
He knew that Shi Nansheng was in charge of everything in the film studio, and Tsui Hark was only responsible for making movies.
Lin Chaoyang had just won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, so when he was asked to write a script, Shi Nansheng was already mentally prepared.
"I heard that Lin Sheng used the script as an investment in the movie "The Truman Show"?"
Listening to Shi Nansheng's words, Lin Chaoyang was slightly surprised.
When most film companies hear his request, their first reaction is to refuse it, but Shi Nansheng took an unusual approach and took the initiative to mention it.
After thinking for a moment, he probably guessed what Shi Nansheng was thinking.
The financial backer behind the film company she and Tsui Hark run is Boss Lei, and most of the investment comes from Boss Lei and New Art City. Therefore, a larger or smaller share of investment will not actually have a big impact on the couple's income.
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On the contrary, if you can get Lin Chaoyang's script without spending a penny, it will reduce the production cost of the film, which may be more beneficial to the development of the film studio.
After understanding this truth, Lin Chaoyang chatted with Shi Nansheng for a while.
With the case of "The Truman Show" in the past, Shi Nansheng did not get too entangled and quickly agreed to Lin Chaoyang's request to use the script remuneration as investment, and the proportion was still 10%.
Tsui Hark then chatted with Lin Chaoyang about some of his thoughts on the script. Lin Chaoyang accepted all his information and then summarized it with his own thoughts.
"I understand what you mean. You want to make a martial arts film with an urban style, where you are framed, support justice, liquidation and revenge, and two heroes fight for hegemony. These elements of martial arts films must be present, but it must have modern characteristics.
of.
The most important thing is to have a heroic spirit. If you have shortcomings in small details, you should not fail in big ones. You must not be sloppy."
After hearing Lin Chaoyang's summary, Tsui Hark felt like he had met a close friend, with excitement written all over his face, "Yes, yes, yes, you are absolutely right. This is the feeling I want."
After dinner, Lin Chaoyang promised Tsui Hark to hand over the script within two months and left the restaurant.
After returning home, Lin Chaoyang told Tao Yushu what happened today, and then said to her: "We will register a film company later, and you will be the boss and the investor of "A Better Tomorrow" this time."
Lin Chaoyang wanted Tao Yushu to open a film company, but it was impossible for him to invest or produce movies independently from the start.
Based on the current situation of the couple, temporarily cooperating with others is the best way.
Cooperating with a film studio is a good choice. Firstly, Tsui Hark's performance is relatively stable. Secondly, the film studio is not large in scale and is not afraid of big stores bullying customers. Thirdly, with Lin Chaoyang's cooperation with the film studio, Golden Harvest
Don't dare to go too far there.
"Do we need to take care of the residence matter?"
"Definitely." Lin Chaoyang teased her again, "Let me say a few words in Cantonese."
The couple has been in Xiangjiang for more than three months. The reason why they have not applied for Tao Yushu's identity is mainly to give Tao Yushu time to become familiar with the environment, culture and language of Xiangjiang.
Tao Yushu is the one in the family who goes out and interacts with people the most on weekdays. She is also studious and has become quite fluent in Cantonese in a few months.
In the next few days, Tao Yushu, with the help of Zhang Cuiying, went to the Immigration Department to apply for identity, and then registered a film company.
The film company was named casually, Lin's Pictures, with Tao Yushu as chairman and general manager.
The chairman of Lin's Pictures, whose surname is Tao, has a dark sense of humor.
When the new company was established, Tao Yushu had an additional general, deputy general manager, director of the legal department, and director of the administrative department Tao Yumo.
As for Lin Chaoyang, as casual as he is, he will definitely not be able to work. At most, he will be a part-time non-staff screenwriter.
The first thing when the company was established was to find an office location. Chairman Tao spent several days arranging the surrounding area with the Oriental Garden as the center, and finally settled on the Prince's Building at the intersection of Prince Edward Road and Kitty Road.
It is less than 300 meters away from Oriental Garden, and the monthly rent for a 500-square-foot office is about HK$3,000.
Tao Yushu calculated an account and found that 3,000 Hong Kong dollars a month is 36,000 Hong Kong dollars a year. The price of the property in Prince's Building is only 950 Hong Kong dollars per square foot, and 500 square feet is less than 500,000 Hong Kong dollars.
If you rent for more than ten years, you will get your capital back.
Beginning in the early 1980s, the world economy experienced an overall recession due to the oil crisis. In addition, China and Britain launched negotiations on the Hong Kong issue but failed to reach a consensus.
As a result, the real estate market in Xiangjiang has continued to decline in the past few years, with the cumulative decline exceeding 30%.
It was not until the conclusion of the negotiations at the beginning of this year that housing prices in Xiangjiang turned from negative to positive.
But it will take at least a year to return to prices before the 1980s.
Therefore, this period is not considered a prime time for bargain hunting in the property market, but it is still a good time.
Chairman Tao listened to Lin's analysis of the world situation and market conditions, and believed that renting is worse than buying. With a wave of his hand, he spent nearly 500,000 Hong Kong dollars to buy the 500-foot-long sixth floor of the Prince's Building, which is approximately 46.5 square meters. property.
After the purchase, Tao Yushu was still a little dissatisfied because she heard from the agent that a house here only cost 850 yuan per square foot last year. In just half a year, the price per square foot had increased by 100 yuan.
“If I had known I would have bought it last year!”
Chairman Tao expressed his heartache after spending an extra HK$50,000.
Lin Chaoyang smiled and said: "Be content, you didn't come last year."
Tao Yushu said regretfully: "It's a pity that the company also needs funds, otherwise it could buy more houses."
Since this period of time, Lin Chaoyang has successively received three royalties from Ming Pao Publishing House, and the couple's deposits have reached HK$1.5 million.
After spending 500,000 Hong Kong dollars to buy the property in Prince's Building, I still have 1 million Hong Kong dollars left. This 1 million Hong Kong dollars is the start-up capital of Lam's Pictures.
Copying properties is a typical business speculation, so it is naturally impossible for Tao Yushu to invest all his money here.
In the next few days, the family was busy decorating the office and purchasing office supplies, and finally managed to prop up the company's appearance.
Lin Chaoyang originally planned to open the business quietly, but on the opening day, Li Hanxiang came with Xu Guanwen, Yue Hua, Di Long and other people to support him.
The flower baskets sent by these people were all over the company, even in the elevator hall and at the entrance of the corridor.
"Chaoyang, you have to be generous when you open your business. Why are you so sneaky about your company's opening?" Li Hanxiang said, half jokingly, half sarcastically.
"My company has no business since it opened. It is just a decoration now, and there is no need to build momentum."
That being said, Lin Chaoyang still wants to express his gratitude to everyone for coming to support us.
"Go to Fulinmen at noon and I'll treat you!"
Everyone burst into cheers when they heard this. They didn't miss the meal, but they liked the atmosphere very much.
Lin's Pictures said it was open for business, but there was really no business. Everyone came here just to chat, laugh and cheer, which actually attracted the attention of some company employees in the building.
Although Ti Lung and Yue Hua are somewhat outdated, their reputations are here to stay. As soon as they appeared, many people gathered at the door of Lin's Pictures to watch the fun.
Li Hanxiang looked at the popularity at the door and said with a smile: "Look! This is what we call opening! By the way, there will be surprises later."
The mysterious expression on his face made Lin Chaoyang couldn't help but ask a few more questions, but after Li Hanxiang said this, he kept silent and kept it secret.
It wasn't until half an hour later that a charming and beautiful woman came to the door of Lin's Pictures. The people watching at the door immediately became excited!
"Zhong Chuhong!"
"Honggu!"
The appearance of Zhong Chuhong not only sent the onlookers into a frenzy, but also caused a sensation in the entire Prince's Building. When they learned that Zhong Chuhong had appeared in the Prince's Building, the white-collar workers rushed to the sixth floor without attending work, just to catch a glimpse of the beauty.
"Honggu, Honggu, you are so red!"
Yue Hua looked at the enthusiastic people outside the company and couldn't help but sigh.
Just now, the crowd outside was getting bigger and bigger. For safety reasons, Lin Chaoyang closed the door of the company. The onlookers could only stand outside and watch, with no intention of leaving.
"What should we do?" Tao Yushu had never experienced such a scene. She looked at the thick crowd outside and was a little at a loss.
But Zhong Chuhong has long been used to it. She has just accepted the lead role in "The Truman Show" and today she was called by Xu Guanwen to give a platform to Lin's Pictures.
"Mrs. Lin, it doesn't matter. These people are just curious. I'll go and say a few words to them and then we'll be gone."
Zhong Chuhong came forward, and it really had a miraculous effect. Although the people watching were a little reluctant, how could they not give some face to the goddess when she came forward!
After a while, the crowd almost dispersed, leaving only a few fanatical fans, waiting at the door unwillingly, hoping to catch another glimpse of the goddess when Zhong Chuhong left.
At this time, the elevator bell rang in the elevator hall, and Chen Ziqiang and Maggie Cheung, who had dyed purple hair, walked out of the elevator, with a young man holding a flower basket behind them.
"Sheng Lin, Mrs. Lin, congratulations! Congratulations! Happy opening!" Chen Ziqiang congratulated him as soon as they met.
After Maggie Cheung congratulated her, she automatically came to Tao Yushu's side like a cat that smelled fishy smell.
Tao Yushu and Zhong Chuhong both have bright and elegant looks and temperaments. Her style is pure and sweet. Standing next to them, she feels like a little bird.
Seeing the lively chat between Tao Yushu and Zhong Chuhong, Maggie Cheung felt a little uncomfortable. Her eyes wandered around, and she suddenly found a pair of familiar eyes.
The reason why I say they are familiar is because she looks very similar to Tao Yushu, but their temperament is completely different. On the contrary, Maggie Cheung feels a sense of sympathy for each other.
After a while, the two crickets came together.
When it was almost noon, everyone went to Fulinmen Restaurant. After a big meal, the opening ceremony of Lin's Pictures was considered a success.
When he returned home in the evening, Tao Yumo said to his sister: "Sister, you have given me so many official posts, you must give me some salary, right?"
"What salary should I give you? Isn't the pocket money I usually give you enough?"
Although Tao Yushu had just become a capitalist, Tao Yushu's heart turned dark at an alarming rate, which made Tao Yumo heartbroken.
"Pocket money is pocket money. I take care of the children and help you all day long. It's hard work without any merit."
The coolies are clamoring for a raise in wages, and their demands are reasonable, but even those with a black heart like Tao Yushu have to consider it as appropriate.
"Then I'll give you an extra thousand yuan a month from now on."
"I have so many concurrent jobs, so why should I get a raise of 1,000 yuan?"
"You are so horny! Isn't this much more than your previous salary?"
"Living in Xiangjiang is not easy! You hold great financial power, so how do you understand the difficulties of ordinary people like us!"
Tao Yumo sounds pitiful, but it still sounds a bit weird.
The two sisters discussed it for a long time, and finally gave Tao Yumo an extra 1,500 Hong Kong dollars in pocket money every month. Counting the 1,500 Hong Kong dollars originally given to her every month, it was exactly 3,000 dollars.
Having secured enough treatment for himself, Tao Yumo was all smiles, but the word "money obsessed" was barely written on his face.
She thought that 3,000 Hong Kong dollars a month, converted into RMB, was more than 1,100 yuan. One month was as much as her income from working in Yanjing for two years.
What kind of class will she go back to?
Two days later, Lin Chaoyang and Tao Yushu appeared on the Jiahe set.
Golden Harvest Studios is located on Busan Road. When Chou Wenhuai purchased the bankrupt Cathay Pacific Studios, it was renamed Golden Harvest Studios.
Today is the day when the filming of "The Truman Show" begins. The crew has already arrived early in the morning, and there are also many guests who come to support it.
Xu Guanwen is Jiahe's right-hand man, and of course Boss Zou will make an appearance today. In addition to his boss, Cheng Long, Sammo Hung and other Jiahe's stars also all appeared to support him.
In addition to these people, Lin Chaoyang also saw the four Xu brothers appearing together for the first time today.
Among the four brothers, Xu Guanjie is now a superstar in both film and singing fields. He is more popular than his eldest brother Xu Guanwen. This time, all the brothers will make guest appearances in "The Truman Show."
After the lively opening ceremony, the celebrities who came to the platform dispersed, and the shooting of the first scene of "The Truman Show" officially began.
The first scene in "The Truman Show" is a scene in the bathroom where Truman complains about his belly over bottles and bottles.
The original Jim Carrey became famous for his comedy, and this movie is his transformation. His performance in this movie restrained many of the exaggerated elements of comedy, but he still revealed some of his true colors unconsciously.
In contrast, Xu Guanwen's performance in front of the camera is duller than Jim Carrey's.
Later in 1993, Xu Guanwen acted in the movie "The Money-Stealing Couple", which tells the story of a news reporter played by Xu Guanwen who became terminally ill and was exploited by the fiercely competitive Xiangjiang Media, triggering a series of crazy "money-grabbing" behaviors.
Among them, the clip of Xu Guanwen speaking to the camera has been popular on Douyin for a while. His relaxation and ease in the movie at that time were impressive. To describe it as an actor-level performance is to be humble.
Lin Chaoyang watched Xu Guanwen's performance from the sidelines and felt that his performance was even better than in "The Money Stealing Couple".
It seems that he really worked hard on the script.
After one scene is shot, the next scene is the scene where the Truman couple appear together.
Zhong Chuhong is only in her twenties this year. Logically speaking, she is a bit young to play the role of Xu Guanwen's wife.
But her appearance and temperament are very mature, and with a little makeup, she doesn't feel out of place for a young woman in her thirties.
Compared with Xu Guanwen, who has natural and proficient acting skills, Zhong Chuhong's acting skills are a lot more jerky. Work has just started today, and she has not yet entered the state, and Xu Anhua called her "click" several times in a row.
"Let's take a rest."
The filming period of "The Truman Show" was very ample, and Xu Anhua did not get impatient, but gave Zhong Chuhong time to slowly get into the mood.
By the afternoon, her performance was much better.
The next day, Lin Chaoyang received a call from Li Shifei from Guangzhou, saying that the publication of "The Truman Show" lacked the influence and fermentation of the previous magazine publication. Huacheng Publishing House had prepared some publicity activities and wanted Lin Chaoyang to cooperate.
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Lin Chaoyang asked in detail and found out that Huacheng Publishing House wanted to hold a press conference for "The Truman Show" and they invited some TV stations and newspapers from South China to attend.
In addition, several book signings have been prepared. Huacheng Publishing House hopes that Lin Chaoyang can visit several major cities in China. This can also be regarded as a means of publicity and momentum.
Lin Chaoyang listened to the cities reported by Li Shifei, and started from Guangzhou first, then Changsha, Wuhan, and then along the Yangtze River to Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.
After the end of the south, there is the north, all the way north, Zhengzhou, Jinan, Tianjin, and Yanjing.
Lin Chaoyang felt numb after hearing this. It would take at least a month to complete this lap.
"No, no, no. You are using me as a donkey to pull a mill. How can I be so bossy?"
"How can I call you a messenger? Aren't we doing this for the promotion and sales of the novel?"
After much push and pull between the two, Lin Chaoyang finally agreed to attend the autograph sessions in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Yanjing, which lasted only about a week.
The book launch of "The Truman Show" is scheduled for August 12, and Lin Chaoyang can just go to Guangzhou after attending Er Maitai's wedding.
Two days later, when Lin Chaoyang was about to go to Shenzhen, Tao Yushu found him in a dilemma and talked about preparing a wedding gift for Ermatai.
It turned out that she originally planned to prepare a motorcycle as a gift for Ermatai, but after going to the mall to inquire about it, she found out that she couldn't bring it with her after passing the customs clearance.
"How about bringing a TV or video recorder back?" Tao Yushu suggested.
"Forget it, don't go to so much trouble. They just got married, so it's most practical to give them money."
After the couple discussed it, Lin Chaoyang went to Hung Hom Kowloon Railway Station the next day, then got on the train and headed north along the Guangzhou-Kowloon Railway to Luohu Port.
Today, eye-catching signs can be seen everywhere on the streets of Shenzhen. For example, the slogan "Time is money, efficiency is life" is painted all over the streets and alleys.
Everywhere you see are high-rise buildings under construction, and tower cranes stretching out their long arms. Next to the busy construction site, men and women wearing blue overalls are whizzing by on Phoenix bicycles.
Although he did not return to Yanjing, for some reason, Lin Chaoyang felt like he was home when he set foot in Shenzhen again.
He followed the address provided by Ermatai and found the Hongling Building in Futian.
"Morning sun!"
Ermatai was extremely excited when she saw Lin Chaoyang, and stepped forward and hugged him.
Lin Chaoyang patted Er Maitai and said, "Okay, I really want to be the groom's official, so I've been tidy enough. Don't call me Er Maitai from now on, call me Da Jie."
Ermatai scratched his head and smiled. Luo Huifang also came over to greet Lin Chaoyang, "Chaoyang!"
Lin Chaoyang smiled and nodded, "Afang, congratulations!"
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Chaoyang took a look at Ermatai and Luo Huifang's new home, "Your house is not bad."
When it came to the house, Ermitai was a little embarrassed and said: "Last year you said you wanted me to buy a bungalow, but now you can't buy it in Luohu and Futian. A Fang and his family are in a hurry, so I bought this place. This place is cheap.
Three hundred yuan per square meter."
Lin Chaoyang laughed and said: "What's the point? A house, you buy it to live in. By the way, why is this house so cheap?"
In recent years, housing prices in Shenzhen have been changing every year. When Lin Chaoyang came here last year, Luo Huifang said that the price of some newly built commercial housing was already several hundred yuan per square meter, and good properties even cost 1,000 yuan per square meter.
"Didn't I build the China World Trade Center Building before? I only found out about it after chatting with my colleagues.
This community was built by the Housing Authority. At that time, in order to raise funds for the construction of the Guomao Building, the city had no money, so it was built here to sell food. It does not matter whether it is private or public, and it does not limit the household registration. It only requires 40% of the house payment.
It was too expensive for us. The year before last, it sold for 220 yuan per square meter."
I am afraid that such a policy can only be enjoyed by Shenzhen. Among other things, there are no design standards for high-rise buildings in China, so people dare to build high-rise residential buildings with more than 30 floors.
"So you two still have loans?"
Chapter completed!